Saving Their Lives and The In Between
by Nathan Lane-Beatles Luvr
Summary: Sequel to This Never Happened Before. We all know about Brian's and John's fates, right? Well, will Dahlia be able to save them in time? And what about the space in between? read to find out!
1. Catching Up with The McCartneys

AN: **Here it is! The first chapter of Saving Their Lives and The In Between, the sequel to This Never Happened Before. And the idea for Paul and Dahlia's honeymoon came from quarrygirl, so thank you! oh and quarrygirl, I would have gone into more detail about their honeymoon but I completely spaced about asking you and forgot, so sorry. **

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR DAHLIA**

CHAPTER 1

**Dahlia's POV**

We were getting worried. And by "we", I mean Paul, John, George, Ringo, and me. Paul and I had been married for a year now and for our honeymoon we went to Disneyworld. Paul had been like a little kid in that place, but it worked because I was too. Things were going great for us. Oh, yeah, we had our little marital and domestic squabbles, but nothing we couldn't overcome. That is the downside of passion and we are an especially passionate couple, if you get my drift. John and Cynthia weren't going so good and Paul and the others were predicting a divorce. Paul and I felt sorry for Julian though. John hadn't been there for his first word, his first step, first day of school, or anything really. John didn't know Julian at all. It was sad, to be quite honest. John had met another woman, though, and he really loved her. Of course, this woman was none other than Yoko Ono. He had met her about a year previously and said that he was falling in love with her. But that is not why we were worried.

No, the center of our concern was our very own Brian Epstein. Now, all the boys were into drugs, but Brian was getting more and more depressed and hard to work with because of the drugs he was taking. I mean, he was popping way too many pills and he was smoking pot and he was getting impossible to reason with. Just the other day, one of his assistants quit his job and left. I was still Brian's assistant manager, which didn't mean anything really, other than keeping the boys under control when they got out of hand. I turned down most offers of drugs and Paul and the others accepted my decision. George was still not smoking anything but he did pop pills occasionally. Ringo was more into alcohol than anything but he wasn't so bad…yet. That's why I expressly told him not to overdo it. He laughed and assured me that he wouldn't ever become a serious alcoholic but I said to him, "I'm serious, Ringo, if you start to become an alcoholic in any sense of the word, I will kick your ass all the way to rehab." He stopped laughing and nodded, knowing that I was deadly serious and could and would carry out with my threat.

Paul was not so bad but he did smoke some pot, knowing that it wouldn't help him later on in life and he was cutting back after I told him that he could die from cancer because of smoking. Maybe that was a little mean, but I was only protecting him. John, on the other hand, was the worst out of the boys. He would pop pills at almost every turn, ensuring that the second he started coming down from his high, he would race right back up. Beyond that, when he wasn't high, he was difficult enough to deal with but when he _was _high, he was impossible. Not only that, he was violent. A drunken John was somebody you did NOT want to piss off. He actually did come after me once, but he only tackled me before Paul, George, and Ringo pulled him off. Paul looked ready to murder him but I assured him I was okay, only a little shaken. Though I wasn't angry with John, knowing that he wasn't really himself, I did enjoy the profuse apologizing and begging for forgiveness that came from John the next day. It got ridiculous because I wasn't paying him much mind and John thought I was giving him the silent treatment that I almost yelled at him to piss off, but I stopped myself, knowing that it would do no good. By around noon that day, I had had enough of John and finally said, "JOHN! Just stop! It's alright. You were drunk, you weren't yourself and I'm not hurt. I was a little shocked but I wasn't hurt." I swear John must have cackled with relief and hugged me so tight that I thought he would crush my ribs.

"John…can't…breathe," I managed to choke out and he released me at once saying, "Sorry." Other than pot and pills, he was doing acid. They all were but that was only once in a great while, and even then they really only did it when they were having trouble writing. John on acid was quite funny, I have to admit. I must confess that I did do acid a couple times, but I didn't really enjoy it. One of those times, we all were tripping out and seeing different things but John suddenly started laughing like crazy and fell over. He popped back up and said all in one breath, "I'm hungry. Do we have any biscuits? Can we make biscuits? Why are you guys looking at me like that? Why do you hate me?" His voice had gotten rather high-pitched at the end and then he said, very panicky, "There are mosquitoes in my brain!" He then fell over once again and we all started bursting out laughing. I was still seeing multicolor flowers and other weird crap but once we came down, we went over to John who was just getting up and we were all smiling at him.

"Mosquitoes, John?" Paul asked him, barely containing his laughter. I looked at him and snorted but I started cracking up when John answered him.

"What in the bloody hell are you going on about Macca?"

That was all fun and games but we all knew that something had to be done about Brian. We all knew that his addictions could very well and would kill him.


	2. Helping Brian

**DAHLIA = MINE, EVERYTHING ELSE = NOT MINE**

CHAPTER 2

**Dahlia's POV**

Paul, John, George, Ringo, and I had decided that somebody had to talk to Brian and try to get him to go get help. _Heh, heh, "Help!" that's funny….oh so NOT the time, Dahlia._ I had volunteered and they agreed that I should be the one to go and talk to him.

We all knew that Brian could get violent when he got angry and Paul said that he wanted to go with me for protection, but I said, "Paul, its Brian. I'll be fine. I promise." We were hanging out at Abbey Road and I stood up.

I kissed Paul goodbye and said, "Wish me luck, boys."

"Good Luck!" John replied, ever the joker.

"That was rhetorical, John," I called as I started out the door.

"I know!" John yelled back. I rolled my eyes and walked to my black 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback. Paul and I bought it not long ago and I loved it. Of course, Paul usually drove his own car, which I could never remember the name of, but that didn't bother me. That meant that I got the Ford more often. I climbed into it and drove to Brian's flat. I knocked on the door and Brian yelled, "GO AWAY!"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Brian, it's me. It's Dahlia."

"I don't care…GO AWAY!" came Brian's response. I closed my eyes for a moment and said, "Brian, stop being an infant and open the damn door."

"No!"

"Brian, I'm coming in whether you like it or not."

"No!"

"Damn it Brian. OPEN. THE. DOOR."

"N-O. Noooooo-ah."

Brian was seriously starting to piss me off and I tried the door and found that it was unlocked. I opened it and found a very irritable looking Brian sitting on his couch. His eyes were red and his hair was all a mess. _This is not the Brian I know. He needs help. Now._

"Hey, Brian, how are you?" I figured I might as well be polite and conversational.

He looked at me and smiled sarcastically, "Oh, I'm just peachy. And you?"

_Okay, conversation: not gonna work._

I sat down next to Brian and said, "Brian Epstein, look at me right now. Look at me in the eyes."

He did and I said, "You need to stop this, Brian. You need to get help."

He giggled and said, "Silly Dahlia. I don't need help. I need death!"

"What?"

"You heard me."

My heart broke for Brian and I felt tears well up in my eyes and I said, "Why? Why would you want to die?"

Brian's eyes darkened and he shouted, "WHY? YOU'RE ASKING ME WHY?"

I nodded and he said, "I'LL TELL YOU WHY! I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO HIDE WHO I AM BECAUSE IT ISN'T SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE! It is killing me Dahlia! I just cannot do it anymore!" He broke down into tears and shouted, "I WISH I COULD SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS! I'M GAY! I FANCY BLOKES! I WISH LIKE HELL I COULD, BUT I CAN'T! And it hurts. Dahlia, I don't wanna hurt anymore. I just want it to be over. Is that so wrong?"

I wrapped my arms around Brian and held him tight. He let the tears flow freely and he clung to me like I was his lifeline. I felt his tears soaking my shirt but I didn't care. There was no sound from his sobbing, that's how deep the pain he was feeling went; there was no sound that he was able to make that would show how badly he was hurting, but he was shaking.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's okay. Shhh, Brian, shhh," I kept whispering words of comfort to him as he cried on my shoulder and I said, "You can't leave us, okay? You can't. We all love you, including John, even if he doesn't wanna admit it. You're like a father to us, Bri."

Brian didn't say anything; he just kept shaking and crying. I didn't mind; I knew that he had to get it out. He was still holding on to me like I would disappear if he didn't, and I continued, but my voice was breaking a little because I was crying too.

"I've lost my biological father; I REFUSE to lose you, e-especially when I could do something about it. E-especially when I can help you. You need to get help and all of us will be right there beside you, through it all. I swear to you Brian, we will. This will kill you Brian."

Brian raised his head and looked at me. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and he looked absolutely pitiful. "I know I need help, Dahlia. I know I do. I don't really wanna die, but I'm sick and tired of the pain. I can't do it anymore. You have no idea how bad it hurts having to hide who you are every single damn day of your life."

"No, you're right. I don't know what it's like, Bri. But I need you to listen to me, okay? We don't care that you're gay. We love you just the same. Please get help, Brian. Please."

"Give me one good reason why I should stick around," Brian said, his eyes begging for that one good reason.

I knew just the thing he needed and wanted to hear. "You need to stick around because I want my children to know just how amazing their Uncle Brian is."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. I'm pregnant, Brian. Paul and I are going to be parents. We were hoping that you might consider being the godfather."

"You really want me to be the godfather of your child?"

I nodded and Brian said, "_You_ really want _me _to be the godfather of your baby? Wouldn't you rather have John be the godfather?"

"Well, he's going to be the godfather, too."

"How do you figure that one out?"

I held up two fingers and waited for Brian to figure it out. It took him a minute and he looked at me strangely but when he _did_ realize what I was trying to tell him, his eyes went so wide I thought that they might fall out of his head.

"TWINS? You're having twins?" Brian shrieked happily.

I nodded and said, "Yup. We haven't told anyone else but I can't imagine John refusing to be the godfather of one of Paul's children, y' know?"

Brian nodded and said, "You're right, I don't think John will say no either. But yes, I would be honored to be the godfather of one of your babies."

"Ooh, good Paul will be thrilled. He's been practically bursting with anticipation at telling the boys but I told him that we should wait a little before announcing it to the world."

Brian stood up and said, "You were right to do so, quite honestly. I want you to enroll me in rehab as soon as you can. I am going to get clean. For you, for the boys, and for those babies!"

_Oh my god, he just sounded like Captain America or something. _I beamed at him and got up. Luckily I wasn't showing too much yet, but I knew that I would be, and with twins, I would like I was carrying a watermelon in my shirt. _Oh great, there'll be plenty of jokes from John. Oh, well, I'll probably be making them too._

"Brian, I am so glad that you want to get clean. I will be there every step of the way and so will Paul, George, and Ringo, and John, too. I promise you, if he starts to complain or says that he won't be there, I will kick his ass for you."

"Thank you, Dahlia. Thank you for saving me," Brian said, hugging me. I embraced him tightly and said, "Brian, it was my pleasure."


	3. Telling The Lads The News

**I DON'T BLOODY WELL OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR DAHLIA.**

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to update, everyone. I have been dealing with school...high school...gotta love it.**

CHAPTER 3

**Paul's POV**

"Paul," Dahlia said, "I think it's time we tell everyone."

We were sitting in the studio with John, George, and Ringo and I looked at her excitedly. "We can tell them? Really?"

The lads looked extremely confused and looked at me and then Dahlia. "Okay, tell us what, exactly?" John said.

I grinned at Dahlia and said, "Can I tell them?" She nodded and I exploded. I had been waiting far too long for this.

"DAHLIA'S PREGNANT!" I shouted.

John, George, and Ringo jumped out of their seats and they all shouted, "WHAT?"

"It's true you guys; I'm pregnant. But that's not the only surprise," Dahlia said. I looked at her and grinned. She walked over to me and I put my arm around her. Dahlia held up two fingers and waited for the boys to catch on to what she was telling them.

Ringo caught on first. "Wait a minute, wait just one minute. Are you serious?"

John and George looked at him and John said, "Wait, did we miss something? Are you seeing something we're not?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "John, George…we're having twins."

George's eyes bugged out of his head and Ringo was jumping up and down. John made his way over to Dahlia and hugged her tightly. After he let her go, Ringo and George hugged her while John hugged me.

"Congratulations, both of you. I can't believe you're gonna be a father."

I nodded and said, "Well, as I am a father myself, I will give you some sage advice, my friend." I knew very well that John was only joking around but I pretended to look serious and curious.

"And what would that be, John?"

"Paul, my old friend….be the father to your children I never have been to Julian. Be there for your kids. And most importantly, tell them you love them every single chance you get. Oh, and just, in general, don't screw up their lives."

_Maybe John wasn't joking. _"Thanks John. Hey listen, Dahlia and I were wondering…would you consider being the godfather of one of the twins?"

John looked surprised but then he grinned like an idiot. "Of course I will. Hey, who's the other godfather?"

"Brian."

"Brian? Do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, he's kind of unstable right now."

"Well," Dahlia told him. "I've just enrolled Brian in rehab and he cannot leave unless his doctor gives the O.K. And he can't check himself out."

"Yeah, and you guys, we're gonna have to be there for him. Every step of the way…and that includes you John," I said.

"Of course we'll be there for him."

"Good. Because I promised Brian that if you started complaining or anything, I would kick your ass for him. And quite frankly, I don't think I'll be very adequate at that in a very short time," Dahlia said.

"Why?" John said obliviously.

"John," Dahlia said, making a circle shape with her arms in front of her stomach.

"Oh, yeah, right, sorry."

I leaned over and whispered to Dahlia, "We're surrounded by morons."


	4. Babies!

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR DAHLIA **

CHAPTER 4

_Eight months later_

**Paul's POV**

We were sitting in the studio just relaxing when all of a sudden Dahlia shot straight up.

John stared at her and said, "Are you all right, Doll?"

Dahlia's ocean blue eyes widened and she said, "My water just broke. Paul, the babies are coming."

"HOLY CRAP!" John shouted.

Ringo and George looked at John and we all said, "Shut up John!"

Dahlia said very calmly, "Do you think that maybe we should, oh, I don't know, GET TO A HOSPITAL?"

We all jumped up and John dialed 999, "Hey, yeah, um, my friend is pregnant and her water just broke, so can you get ambulance to come here? Where's here? Uh, Abbey Road Studios."

John hung up the phone and said, "The ambulance is on the way."

Ringo and I were sitting with Dahlia while George and John were on the lookout for the ambulance.

"Okay, baby, just grab our hands, and squeeze them when the contractions start, okay?"

Dahlia nodded and just then she grimaced in pain and practically growled. She squeezed our hands really hard and she said, "Sorry."

"It's okay. I guess the contractions started, huh?" I said. Dahlia looked at me like she was ready to kill me and Ringo just shook his head.

"Alright, Dahlia, I need you to breathe okay? In, out, in, out, okay?" Ringo said.

Dahlia nodded and started breathing. "THE AMBULANCE IS HERE!" John shouted.

The paramedics came into the studio and helped Dahlia onto a stretcher and took it from there.

"Alright, who's family here?" one of them asked.

"We're all her family," John said.

"Alright, immediate family, then?"

"Well, I'm her husband," I said.

"Right, you come with us," the paramedic said, pointing at me.

"Alright, you guys follow us to the hospital, oh and someone call Brian, let 'im know that Dahlia's gone into labor," I said to the lads as I walked with the paramedics, holding Dahlia's hand as more of the contractions came.

We got into the ambulance and got to the hospital seemingly quick. We arrived and got Dahlia into a room as fast as we could and before I knew it, she was delivering and I was right there with her.

She was screaming in pain and I was actually scared for her. I stood by her and held her hand.

"You're doing great, babe, you're doing great. Come on, you can do it."

She looked at me and growled, "You did this to me, you son-of-a-bitch. Oh, I hate you. You did this to me."

"I know, I know. I love you so much, Dahlia, I love you. Come on, baby."

"I love you too, Paul."

"Alright," the doctor said, "Mrs. McCartney, we need you to push…NOW!"

Dahlia let out a scream and pushed with all her might. I thought she might break my hand from squeezing it so hard but now was not the time.

"Good, good, alright one more push, now, Mrs. McCartney."

"GAHHHHHHHHHH!" Dahlia pushed one more time and then…I heard the sound of a baby crying.

"Oh, Dahlia, you did it, babe, you did it. Okay, one baby down, one to go."

"It's a girl, congratulations."

"Oh, she's beautiful, Dahlia. She's so beautiful."

Dahlia managed to pant out, "Let's …call…her…Brianna," before she let out another scream.

A few minutes later, Brianna's twin sister was born. Dahlia looked absolutely exhausted but she held one of the babies while I held the other.

Dahlia was holding Brianna and I was holding her twin. "What should we call her?" I asked Dahlia.

She grinned at me and said, "Let's name her after your mom. Let's name her Mary."

"Okay. Hi, Mary, I'm your daddy. I love you. Welcome to the family, little girl." I kissed Mary on the forehead and a tear rolled down my cheek.

"They're so beautiful, Dahlia. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Paul. Hey, what about middle names?"

"I think "Brianna Rose" sounds nice. What do you think?" I said.

"I love it. And my mum's name was Evangeline, so what about "Mary Evangeline"?"

"It's beautiful. Brianna Rose and Mary Evangeline McCartney. It's perfect. Hey do you realize what today is?"

"Uh, Friday?"

"Well, yes, but today is October 20th. Happy birthday, love."

Oh, yeah, today is my birthday! So, um, I'm 24 now. Hey that means that our daughters have the same birthday as me!"

"Yeah, but I didn't even get you anything."

"Yes, you did, Paul. You gave me our babies. And that is the best birthday present I could have ever imagined."

I smiled and kissed Dahlia gently. "Should I get the lads? John will be thrilled that he has a goddaughter."

Just then, Mary opened her eyes and looked at me. I looked down and grinned. "Oh, Dahlia, she's got your blue eyes."

Brianna opened her eyes and Dahlia said, "Brianna's got your hazel eyes, Paul."

"Alright, will you be good with both of them for a minute?"

"Paul, I'll be fine. Oh, hey, which one should be John's goddaughter?"

"Well, I can only assume that you named Brianna after Brian so maybe Mary should be John's goddaughter."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

I kissed Dahlia and gave her Mary. I made sure she was comfortable with both babies and then went to go get John and the others.

I walked out and the lads were sitting in the waiting room, along with Brian. Well, John was pacing back and forth but the others were sitting down.

I heard Brian say, "John, calm down, I'm sure Dahlia's fine." John just ignored him but Brian gave him small kick when he saw me.

"What the hell was that for?" John said. Brian nodded towards me and John spun around, his eyes wide.

I was still in the scrubs that the nurse had given me and John rushed up to me.

"How is she? Is she alright? Are the babies alright?"

"John! Calm down," Brian said. He walked up to me and I shook his hand.

"Hey, Bri, good to see you, man. What, uh, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, they let me out so I could meet my godchild."

"Oh, cool, how are you doing?"

"I'm great, actually. Withdrawal was a bitch, but it was worth it. I've never felt healthier in my life."

I grinned and by this time, Ringo and George had made their way over and were attempted to restrain John, who was bouncing around like a child on the highest sugar rush of his life.

"Guys, there will be time for small talk later!" John said. "Let's go see Dahlia now!"

"Right, okay, John, Brian, would you like to me your goddaughters?"

"It's two girls?" Brian was practically squealing and John actually had to hold Brian down from doing what John was doing less than a minute ago.

I nodded and we started walking back to Dahlia's hospital room.

We walked in and Dahlia grinned when she saw us.

"Hey Paul, hey guys. Brian! Oh, it's so good to see you."

"Hey, Doll," John said, "how are you doing?"

"I'm great, John; tired as hell, but great nonetheless."

John nodded and carefully made his way over to Dahlia. "Would you like to hold your goddaughter, John?"

John nodded and I helped Dahlia give Mary to John. "Oh, Paul, Dahlia, she's beautiful. What's her name?"

"Her name is Mary Evangeline."

"Mary Evangeline…it's beautiful," John whispered. He sat down carefully with our now-sleeping daughter and Dahlia turned to Brian. "Would you like to hold your goddaughter, Brian?"

Brian nodded and Dahlia handed Brianna to him. Brian smiled at the little baby as he held her and Dahlia said quietly, "Brian."

He looked up and Dahlia said, "Her name is Brianna Rose."

"You named her after me?" Dahlia nodded and Brian looked down at the little girl that was named after him.

"Hello, Brianna. I'm your godfather," Brian whispered to the little baby, "And I promise to be the best godfather a baby could ever wish for."

Brian smiled when Brianna opened her eyes and looked straight at him. "Paul, she's got your eyes!"

I nodded and John spoke up, "And Mary has Dahlia's eyes."

Everyone eventually had a turn to hold the babies before the nurses came in and said, "I know you guys won't like this, but we have to take the babies and put them in the nursery."

Dahlia smiled and said, "You're right, I don't like it, but I know that you have to."

Each nurse took a baby and left. Dahlia yawned and Brian said, "Lads, Dahlia is probably exhausted. Besides she and Paul probably want to be alone."

Ringo nodded and kissed Dahlia on the forehead and shook my hand before saying, "Night, guys, and congratulations." John, George, and Brian followed suit and they left. I sat down in the chair next to Dahlia's bed and pulled it right up close to her. I took her hand and intertwined our fingers.

She smiled at me and said, "I love you Paul, but I am never going through that again."

"Fair enough, because I think you might have sprained my hand."

She laughed and I felt a rush of happiness run through me. _I love it when she laughs_.

"Sorry about that, babe."

I shook my head and grinned. "It's fine. It was worth it."

"Yeah, it was. They're so perfect, Paul."

"They are. Just like their mother."

"I'm far from perfect."

"Well, maybe, but in my eyes, you _are_ perfect."

"I love you."

"Love you, too, Dahlia. Now, let's get some sleep."

Dahlia nodded and about two minutes later, we were both out.


	5. She's My Little Girl

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR DAHLIA, MARY, AND BRIANNA**

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know, I know, I am so sorry that I've been away for so long. Please forgive me? Please? *sad puppy dog face*

Anyroad! Yes, I am back and I will try to update regularly. Thanks for sticking with me and Dahlia for so long and keep reading and reviewing! It makes me smile. Thank you. Okay, enough of me, on with the next chapter!

CHAPTER 5

_13 years later_

**Dahlia's POV**

Well, it was now 1980. Brianna and Mary had just turned 13 years old a month ago and Paul and I and John, George, Ringo, and Brian could not believe it. This June, they were going to graduate from 8th grade and start high school. During those thirteen years, The Beatles had broken up, but they were still on really good terms. John and Cynthia got divorced and John remarried to a Japanese woman named Yoko Ono. She was about seven years older than him, but we never saw him more in love. George and Pattie got divorced, and George remarried to Olivia Arias. She was very sweet and I adored her. Ringo and Maureen had gotten divorced in 1975 and Ringo had met a woman named Barbara Bach on the set of _Caveman_.

Brian was clean and he was Brianna's best friend. They were closer than anyone I had ever known and Brian adored her. They would always have their little inside jokes. Brian told me that he couldn't believe that thirteen years had already gone by at Brianna's and Mary's 13th birthday party. As for Mary and John, he was very protective of Mary and shot death glares at any boy who even so much as looked at her. The girls got along well with everyone, because not only were they funny and a pleasure to be around, they could sing, they could play guitar (Paul and I taught them that; Mary was more acoustic whereas Brianna could fly into the most insane guitar solos on the turn of a dime), and also they were eager to learn how to play the drums, so needless to say, Ringo and George absolutely loved her. They loved her anyway but George was always in awe when Brianna played electric guitar.

But anyway, one day, I was coming home from shopping and when I opened the door, I was greeted by a screaming match between Paul and Brianna. Now let me explain something; although Mary and Brianna were twins, they couldn't have been any more different if they tried. They were both brilliant in school, but their styles were so different; basically Brianna was rocker, Mary was preppy.

Brianna loved jeans, while Mary loved skirts. Brianna loved rock and roll and Mary liked, well, she liked classical and bubblegum pop. Now I don't know how that happened but whatever. Brianna loved leather jackets and sweatshirts and Mary liked sweaters and the like.

Mary was a bit of a teacher's pet and Brianna really didn't give two shits whether or not teachers liked her. Paul and I loved our daughters equally and we always would but we each got along better with one of them. I got along better with Brianna, because she was just like me, and Paul got along better with Mary, because she was a self-admitted "daddy's girl". And there was nothing wrong with that, but when Paul and Brianna butted heads (they are both as stubborn as mules) it could get ugly.

And that was what was happening tonight. I walked in the door and heard Brianna screaming, "I AM NOT TOO YOUNG! I'M THIRTEEN YEARS OLD, DAD! WHY CAN'T YOU ACCEPT THAT I'M NOT A LITTLE GIRL ANYMORE?"

And Paul screamed right back, "YOU ARE TOO YOUNG! AND YOU ARE A LITTLE GIRL STILL! YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING BRIANNA, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, YOU ARE NOT AS TOUGH AS YOU THINK! THAT _BOY_ COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU SO FAST IT WOULD SPIN YOUR HEAD AROUND!"

"It's just the movies, Daddy, and I know Matthew; he's a nice guy," Mary defended her sister. Although they may have been different, they stuck by each other. One time, when they were about seven years old, they were on a playground and the punk little boy pushed Mary down to the ground.

Paul looked ready to string the kid up by his ears but I held him back as Brianna walked right up to the boy and said, "Nobody screws with my sister except for me," and decked the kid, much like I had done to Paul all those years ago.

Of course, the boy was crying his eyes out and Paul and I got Brianna and Mary out of there quick. We told her not to hit people, but secretly we were both proud that Brianna stood up for her sister.

Anyway, that's beside the point. I shook my head and walked into the living room of our home where Paul, Brianna, and Mary were all sitting. Well, actually, Paul and Brianna were standing up, about seven feet apart just screaming at each other and Mary was sitting down on the couch with an exasperated look on her face. She lit up when she saw me and walked up to me.

"They're at it again, Mum," she said.

"Alright, what's happened this time?"

"Okay, well, apparently, this really nice boy in my and Brianna's science class named Matthew asked Brianna out to the movies and she asked Daddy if she could go and he flipped. And they've been going at ever since."

"Alright," I said, "Why don't you just go in your room, honey?" Mary nodded and walked off. I smiled to myself and imagined Paul's face when Brianna told him about Matthew. You see, Brianna came to me a couple of days ago and asked me if she could go to the movies with Matthew that weekend. I said yes, knowing the boy and his family, the entirety of who are extremely nice and sweet. Brianna nearly exploded with happiness but I told her that she should talk about it with Paul.

_Flashback_

"_Honey, I know you're happy, but you really should talk with Dad about it," I told my thirteen year old daughter._

"_Mum, you know as well as I do that he'll say no. No, forget that, he'll have a shit fit!"_

"_Language!" I scolded her._

"_Sorry, but it's true, you know that!"_

"_Yeah, you're probably right, but still, he'll be hurt if you don't include him," I told her._

"_Alright, just give me a couple of days, okay?"_

"_Okay."_

_End of Flashback_

Well, she was right; Paul was having a shit fit. "DAD!" screamed Brianna. "I AM GOING WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! I WASN'T ASKING FOR YOUR FREAKIN APPROVAL! I ALREADY ASKED MUM AND SHE SAID I COULD GO!"

I closed my eyes and waited… "BRIANNA ROSE MCCARTNEY, YOU ARE NOT GOING ON THIS DATE AND THAT IS FINAL!"

"YES I AM!"

"NO YOU ARE NOT!"

"SCREW YOU, YES I AM!"

_Oh, god, she's done it now. _I would have interfered but they would have just kept going anyway, so the point was moot.

"BRIANNA, DAMNIT, I SAID NO! NO, AND THAT IS FINAL!"

"I HATE YOU!"

Next thing I heard was Brianna's bedroom door slamming behind her. I carefully made my way into the living room to see a very devastated and confused-looking Paul standing there, staring at the spot where our teenage daughter once stood.

"Paul?" I said, edging over to him.

"I think I screwed up, Dahlia. Did I screw up?" He seemed so lost and grabbed his hand and sat him down on the couch.

"Paul, you didn't screw up but you could have gone about this a different way."

"She hates me. My daughter hates me."

"No she doesn't, babe. She was angry and when people are angry they say things they don't mean. Still, she is right; Brianna is not a little girl anymore, Paul, she's a teenager, now."

Paul looked at me with those hazel puppy dog eyes of his and said, "She's thirteen, Dahlia. Thirteen! She's just barely a teenager. She's too young to be dating."

"Paul, Matthew is a really nice boy. He would never hurt Brianna."

"She's my little girl, Dahlia, she's my baby. What am I supposed to do? That boy is just that; a teenage boy. Believe me; all that's running through that lad's head is sex."

Paul put his head in his hands and I rubbed his back. "Well, first off, what you are going to do is talk to your daughter, mister."

He looked at me and said, "Do I have to? Right now, I'll be lucky if she even looks at me, never mind talk to me!"

"Yes, you have to."

"Okay." Paul got up and walked off. I sat back into the couch and thought; _I sure hope they work things out. Oh my god, it's almost December! We'll need to be in NYC if I wanna be able to save John._


	6. It's Almost Time

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR DAHLIA, BRIANNA, AND MARY**

CHAPTER 6

**Paul's POV**

I walked to Brianna's room and knocked on her door.

"Go away, Dad!" was her answer.

"Brianna, come on, let me in. We need to talk."

"Wonderful, but I don't wanna be in the same room as you, never mind talk to you."

"Brie, please, let me in? I really need to talk to you. Please."

Brianna finally opened the door and she let me in. I looked around my daughter's room, which was painted light green and was covered with posters and pictures of rock and roll bands, a couple of which were of The Beatles. I internally smiled and looked over to Brianna who was sitting on her bed, playing a song on her electric guitar. I took a seat beside her and said, "Brie, look at me."

She looked up at me with hazel eyes so very similar to mine. "Brianna, I'm sorry that I yelled at you. It's just that, these past thirteen years; they might have been really slow to you, but for me and your mum, they flew by. I have a hard time accepting that you aren't a little girl anymore and that you're growing up, but I know that you are. You're my little girl, Brie; you and Mary are my babies. Can you forgive me?"

Brianna looked at me and put down her guitar. "Of course I can forgive you, Dad." She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and I held my little girl tightly. "I am growing up, Dad, but I'll always be your little girl. I promise. I love you Daddy. I'm sorry that I said…well, you know."

_She called me Daddy. She hasn't done that for years. _I smiled and said, "I know. I love you, too, Brianna. I love you more than you'll ever know. Oh, and Brie?"

She released me and looked at me. "Yeah, Dad?"

"You can go to the movies with Matthew."

"Really, you mean it?"

"Yes, but on one condition; I get to meet the young man."

"Oh, Daddy, thank you! You'll love him, I promise."

"Well, I'm sure that if you like him, then I will too."

Brianna kissed me on the cheek and hugged me one more time before we walked out of her room and back into the living room.

"Everything okay between you two now?" Dahlia said, smiling at us.

Brianna and I looked at each other and grinned. "Yep," Brianna said. "Everything's perfect, Mum."

"Good. Now, why don't you go call Matthew and tell him that we gave the okay for your date?"

Brianna nodded and ran off, practically squealing. I chuckled and sat down next to Dahlia. She turned to me and said, "Do you remember the day we met for the first time?"

I looked at her and grinned. "Of course, I do, love. That was one of the best days of my life, why?"

"Do you remember when I told John that he and George weren't touring anymore and he asked me if something happened?"

I nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "Paul, the day that John dies…it's almost here. It's December 1st of 1980; unless we go to New York City and I try to stop Mark David Chapman, John will die on the night of December 8th."

My stomach dropped and I grabbed Dahlia's hand. I nodded and said, "Then we go to New York City. And we stop this from happening."

"Okay," Dahlia said. "But Paul, you have to let me do whatever it takes to save John okay? And I mean, whatever it takes, even if that means you standing by while I take the bullets."

"Dahlia, you can't ask me to stand by while you get shot."

"Paul, if I do get shot, you take Chapman down. I don't care if you have to sit on the guy, just keep him away from John long enough to get the police there."

"Dahlia…"

"Promise me, Paul. Please, promise me that no matter what happens, if I can't, you take that crazy son-of-a-bitch down."

"Okay, I promise. But you have to promise me something, okay?"

"What?"

"Don't take the bullets for John unless it is the absolute last option we have, okay? I cannot lose you."

"Alright, I promise."

"Alright, well, let's start preparing."

"Okay. Well, we can't bring the girls, obviously, so maybe we could call Mike and ask him if he and Angela could take care of Brianna and Mary for a couple of days."

"Yeah, Mike wouldn't mind at all, I'll call him." I grabbed the phone and dialed Mike's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mike, its Paul."

"Oh hey, bro, what's up?"

"Uh, Dahlia and I were wondering if you and Angela could take care of the girls for a couple of days."

"Well, um, sure, yeah, but why?"

"Dahlia and I have some business to take care of and we can't take them with us."

I didn't want to reveal too much but Mike was persistent, "What business?"

"Mike…fine, we're going to New York City."

"Why?"

"Mike!"

"Well, what? I have a right to know!"

"Fine, we're going because of John, happy?"

"Yes, thank you very much. Anyway, yeah, Angie and I would be happy to take the girls." _Even though he is now 36, Mike is still my annoying little brother._

"Thank you. We'll drop them off before we leave."

"Okay, see you then. Love ya, bro."

"Love you too. Thanks."

I hung up the phone and turned to Dahlia, "It's all set."

Dahlia nodded and called out to the girls, "Hey, Brianna, Mary, can you two come here for a minute?"

Our daughters came out from their rooms and Brianna said, "What's up?"

"Guys, you are going to be staying with Uncle Mike for a couple of days while Dad and I take care of some business in America," Dahlia told them.

"Why can't we come?" Brianna asked, raising an eyebrow. _Oh great, she's suspicious, that's exactly what we need right now._

"Yeah, why can't we come with you guys?" Mary asked.

"Brianna, Mary, please don't fight us on this. You cannot come with us, okay?" I told them.

"Okay, we won't. But, Dad, will you be here to see me off on my date?" Brianna asked me.

"Of course," I told her. "I wouldn't miss that for the world. Your date is tomorrow right?"

Brianna nodded and I said, "Okay, see, we aren't leaving until, what, Dahlia, the sixth?"

"Yeah, not until the sixth. We'll drop you off at Uncle Mike's before we leave."

They both nodded and they walked off to their respective rooms.

Dahlia breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Man, I am glad they didn't fight us about that."

"Yeah, so am I, love, so am I. We should probably book a flight and a hotel, huh?" I said, putting my arm around her.

"We can do that tomorrow, can't we? I've had a really long day and I don't wanna deal with the bloody airlines right now, and I'm sure you don't wanna deal with them either," Dahlia said, cuddling up against me.

"No, I really don't, love. Come on, let's just go to bed."

Dahlia looked up at me and kissed me. "Okay. Hey what time is it?"

I checked my watch and said, "Uh, its 10:30 p.m."

"Yeah, well, that would be why I'm so tired," Dahlia said.

"Do you remember when we stayed up until two in the morning that night after John and I found you?"

"Yeah, and we planned to use our sad-puppy dog faces to convince Brian to let me stay."

I laughed and said, "Yeah, that's right. That seems like ages ago, now, love."

She nodded and we stood up and walked to our bedroom hand in hand. "Alright, come on, Paulie, let's just go to sleep. I have a feeling we're gonna need all the energy we can get tomorrow."

"Why? What's happening tomorrow?"

She rolled her eyes and kissed me gently. "Tomorrow Paul…is your daughter's first date," she whispered.

"Damn. You're right. Time sure has flown, huh, love?"

"Yeah, it has. Who would have ever thought that I, an orphan from Boston, would end up traveling back in time, meet you, John, George, and Ringo, and fall madly in love with you? And who would have thought that we would get married and have two of the most perfect children in the world?"

"I don't think anyone could have thought that would ever happen, but it did, and you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You, Brianna, and Mary are the best things that have ever happened to me."

"I love you, Paul."

"I love you, too, Dahlia." She smiled and then yawned widely. "Alright, come on, my sleepy head. Let's just hit the sack."


	7. Meeting Matthew

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR DAHLIA, MARY, AND BRIANNA AND MATTHEW**

CHAPTER 7

**Paul's POV**

_Ding Dong. Ding Dong._

_Oh, great, there goes the doorbell; he's here, that Matthew kid is here. _

"Oh! Matthew is here! Oh, okay, Dad, be nice," Brianna said, practically jumping up and down. I nodded and she opened the front door to reveal a very nervous looking young man. Dahlia was standing right next to me and said, "Hi, Matthew, please come in."

Matthew was practically shaking as he walked through the door, but relaxed when Brianna took his hand in hers. I narrowed my eyes almost imperceptibly but Dahlia saw it and gave me a little smack. I extended my hand to Matthew and said, "Hello, Matthew, nice to meet you."

Matthew's green eyes widened and he shook my hand, "H-hi, Mr. McCartney. It's nice to meet you, too, sir." I smiled at him and thought, _that's right, be afraid. Be very afraid._

"Matthew, please sit down, let's get to know each other," Dahlia said. Matthew sat down and Brianna sat down right next to him. While Dahlia was speaking with him, I took time to analyze Matthew. He had black hair that was cut into, and I almost laughed here, a Beatle style. He was dressed in jeans and a dark blue polo. _All right, he seems nice enough. And he's terrified of me, so…that's good. That's very good._ I also noticed the way that Brianna was looking at him. She was looking at him the way that Dahlia did that first night after John and I found her. She really liked this boy and so far, I approved. Of course, if he ever hurt her, I would be after his head on a silver platter and all that, but he seemed nice.

"All right, well, Mum, Dad, the movie starts soon, so we should be going," Brianna said, still holding Matthew's hand.

"Right, well, have fun, Brie," Dahlia said. Our daughter nodded and I said to Matthew, "Have her home by 9 p.m."

Matthew looked at me and said, "Yes, of course, sir. Have a good night, sir." I nodded and Brianna and Matthew left. Dahlia looked at me and smacked my arm lightly.

"What?"

"The poor kid was terrified of you!" Dahlia laughed.

"Yeah, I know, it was great," I said as Dahlia rolled her eyes.

"Matthew probably idolizes you, Paul. I mean, I'm sure you noticed it too."

"Noticed what, exactly, love?"

She shook her head and said, "When he saw you, I thought the poor kid was going to faint. Just because it's 1980, Paul, doesn't mean that The Beatles have been forgotten."

She put her arm around my waist and I said, "Yeah, I know, but we have Wings now, you know."

"I know. And I love being a band with you, Paul."

"Well, so do I. You, my love, are the best guitarist I have ever seen. Do you remember the guys' faces when I told them that you would be our guitarist?"

"Yes, I do. And I remember their faces when I played my guitar."

I laughed and said, "Yeah, you blew them away; you blew me away. I didn't even know it was possible to play guitar that fast."

_Flashback_

_**Dahlia's POV**_

_I was sitting with Paul, Denny Laine, and Denny Seiwell in the studio when Seiwell asked Paul, "So…do we have a lead guitarist?"_

_Paul smiled at me and said, "Yep….Dahlia."_

_Laine looked at Seiwell and they laughed…or they did until they realized that Paul and I weren't laughing with them._

"_Wait, you're serious? A girl? Playing lead?" Laine said._

_Paul nodded and said, "Yes, but she isn't just "a girl". She's my wife, and she is also the best damn guitarist I have ever seen." _

_Seiwell raised his eyebrow and looked skeptical and said, "Can she even play?"_

_Paul chuckled and said, "Can she play….love, why don't you show them. Play them that song that you played the night that I met you."_

_I nodded and grabbed my trusty Gibson ES-135 and said, "All right guys. You wanted to know if I can play, I'll play. You be the judges."_

_I started playing "Dead!" by My Chemical Romance once more and the solo that Ray goes into at the beginning made both Dennys' eyes bug out. When I finished, Paul grinned at me and then looked at the two other guys, "So, can she play, or what?"_

"_She can play. She can definitely play."_

"_Told you so," Paul smirked._

_End Flashback_

**Paul's POV**

"So, should we call the airlines and book a hotel?" I asked. Dahlia nodded and went to grab the phone. I handed her the phone book and she looked up the number to London International. I sort of spaced out as she was talking to the person on the other end, whose name was apparently Kelly.

_I really hope that we can make it in time to save John. And I seriously hope that it doesn't come to Dahlia stepping in front of the bullet or bullets. But if it does…I will take that nutter down._

"Paul!" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Dahlia.

"Sorry, I spaced out. What did you say?"

She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "I said, the flight is all set, and all we have to do is go to the gate that leads to the plane that flies non-stop to New York."

"Oh, okay, that's good. So, hotel next?" I asked. Dahlia nodded and said, "Yeah, but do we know of any hotels in New York?"

I thought for a minute and came up with nothing. "I got nothing, sorry, love."

"Yeah, me neither."

"Well, we can always just use the hotel that the lads and I stayed in when we went to America," I offered.

"We could do that. Do you remember the name?"

"Ummm…give me a minute. Oh, crap, what's it called?"

Dahlia watched me with some amusement as I tried to remember the name of that damn hotel that we stayed in so many years ago.

"OH! I remember now! It's called the Belvedere Hotel in Times Square."

"Alright, we can stay there. Let's check in when we get there."

"Sounds good to me, love."

_Let's just hope this works_.


	8. Saving My Best Friend

**SERIOUSLY? YOU SHOULD ALL KNOW BY NOW THAT I DON'T OWN A THING EXCEPT FOR THE CHARACTERS I MADE UP.**

CHAPTER 8

**Dahlia's POV**

We had dropped off the girls at Mike's and we were now on the plane, heading to New York. Paul looked very nervous and I couldn't blame him. _I know exactly what's running through his mind because it's the same thing that's running through my mind. We're both hoping that this will work and worried that it won't and scared as hell that it might come down to me having to jump in front of the gun to save John and Yoko. _

I intertwined my hand with Paul's and squeezed it tightly. He looked at me and I could see the worry in his hazel eyes.

"Paul, it's okay. The eighth is still 2 days away."

"Yeah, but by the time we get there, it'll be only one day," Paul whispered.

"I know, Paulie. I know. Believe me; I'm scared too. But I promise you, I'll be okay."

Paul smiled sadly at me and said, "Dahlia, love, don't make promises you can't keep. Please. Just, swear to me that jumping in front of the gun will be something you do as a last resort. Please."

"Okay, Paul, I promise."

We rode the rest of the flight in silence mostly, but only because there was nothing to say. However, although we didn't talk, we never let go of the other's hand.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Dahlia's POV**

It was time. Today was December 8th and Paul and I were running towards The Dakota, the building that John and Yoko lived in. My heart was thundering in my chest and my legs burned, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. If I stopped now, John could die. Paul was right on my heels as we finally reached The Dakota.

I saw John and Yoko walking up to the door and I saw Chapman step out of the shadows. Time started going in slow motion. _I'm not gonna make it._

I looked at Paul as we were running and said, "I'm sorry, Paul." He frowned at me and I screamed out, "JOHN, YOKO; GET DOWN! GET DOWN NOW!" John and Yoko dropped to the ground and I ran with all my might and dived in front of Chapman just as he fired the gun. The next thing I felt was blinding pain in my stomach area, and my shoulder. I fell to the ground with a _thud_ and skidded a little. I heard a grunt and opened my eyes to see Paul beating the shit out of Chapman. He knocked Chapman out and made his way over to me.

Paul had tears in his eyes and said, "You're so stupid, Dahlia. What were you thinking? He could have killed you." Paul looked down at my hand that was putting pressure on the bleeding wound in my stomach. He moved it and whispered, "Oh, god. All right, you'll be okay, love. I promise. CALL 911! JOHN, CALL 911!" Paul covered the wound in my stomach with his own hands and put pressure on it.

I heard footsteps falling fast and John said, "Dahlia! Oh my god. Okay, all right, it's okay." He knelt down next to me and gently put pressure on the wound in my shoulder, although that didn't hurt quite as bad as the one in my stomach.

"Hey, Johnny. Hey," my voice was shaky and my head felt really heavy.

"Dahlia, you saved my life. You saved me. Thank you. I love you, Doll. Don't worry, Yoko is calling 911. They'll be here soon." I nodded and I looked at Paul. The tears were running freely down his face and I reached up and brushed them away, "Don't cry, Paul. Don't cry. I'll be okay. I love you so much, babe."

"No, no, don't do that! Don't you do that! Don't you say goodbye. DAMNIT DAHLIA, DON'T YOU LEAVE ME!"


	9. The Aftermath

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING, EXCEPT FOR DAHLIA**

CHAPTER 9

**AN: I know, I'm sorry about the last chapter but I had to. **

**Paul's POV**

The ambulance arrived just Dahlia's eyes slipped shut. I kept holding onto her hand and I didn't even realize I was screaming for her to wake up until John put his arms around me and pulled me away from her.

I was fighting tooth and nail to get out of John's grip but I couldn't; he just wouldn't let go. "Paul, Paul, stop. Just stop, Paul, there's nothing we can do now." I also vaguely noticed that the police were here. _Yoko must have called them, too._ The policemen hauled Chapman to his feet and a felt a surge of satisfaction when I saw the damage I did to that bastard's face. They handcuffed him and shoved him into the police car. I motioned for one of the policemen to walk over to me.

"I want that _fucker _behind bars for the rest of his life." The policeman merely nodded and said, "We'll do our best, but that's up to the court system. He'll probably plead not guilty by reason of insanity, but even then, he'll be in a mental institution for the remainder of his life. But from what I understand, that lady saved Mr. Lennon. She's a hero."

"She's not just any lady…her name is Dahlia McCartney. She's my wife. She's my world." The policeman nodded again and walked off.

I watched, defeated, as the EMTs attempted to revive Dahlia. It seemed like a lost cause and I stood there with John, tears streaming down my face, trying not to break down. They had her hooked up to this mobile heart machine that was monitoring her heartbeat and it was flat lining. She had no heartbeat. But the EMTs wouldn't give up, especially this young guy, who couldn't have been much more than twenty-three. I looked at John who looked like he was about to faint, and then looked at Yoko, who I don't remember coming back, looking horrified. And just when I was about to break down and cry, I heard a small beep. And then another…and another. I looked up to see the mobile heart machine making these mountain-peak looking things.

"We've got her!" the young EMT shouted. I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding and watched as Dahlia, now breathing, was loaded into the ambulance and John and I were motioned to come with them in the ambulance. Yoko stayed behind, saying something about Sean, John and Yoko's young son. John guided me to the ambulance and we climbed in. They had Dahlia hooked up to a couple of machines, which I assumed, that were used to keep her alive and breathing. I grabbed her hand and whispered, "Don't you leave me, Dahlia. I can't do this without you."

The ride to the hospital seemed quick and when the EMTs rolled her into the hospital, they yelled, "We need a doctor, stat!" And just like that, a doctor and a couple nurses came rushing forward and asked what happened.

"She suffered about three gunshots wounds; one to the abdomen, two to each of her shoulders." She was being wheeled on a gurney through a set of doors, which I guessed was the way to surgery to get the bullets out and one of the nurses stopped John and me from following.

"I'm sorry, sirs, you can't go in there," she said.

"That's my wife!" I said to her. I knew she was right and that I couldn't go in there but still.

"I'm well aware of that, sir, but you still cannot go in there."

John pulled me away from the nurse and said, "All right, thanks." The nurse nodded and smiled sadly at us. We sat down in two of the chairs that were up against the wall and about five minutes later, a policeman came up to us and said, "Can either of you tell me what happened?"

John looked at me and said, "I really have no idea what happened. All I know is that Yoko and I were walking to the door to go into our building when I heard Dahlia, that's her name, yell for Yoko and me to get down. Next thing I know, I hear gunshots and Dahlia is on the ground, with gunshots in her, and Paul is beating the crap out of the nutter who shot her."

"And your names are…?" The policeman asked. John and I looked at each other and then looked at him. "Are you serious, man? You really don't know who we are?"

"Of course I know who you are; it's just procedure, guys."

"Oh, all right, well, in that case, I'm James Paul McCartney." The policeman wrote something down on the little pad of paper he had with him. _Probably my name._

John rolled his eyes and said, "And I'm John Ono Lennon."

"Okay, now, Mr. McCartney, the victim, she's your wife?"

"Yeah, she's my wife."

"And her name is?"

"Dahlia Rose McCartney."

"Okay, so now, what happened?"

I nodded and said, "Well, the guy who shot Dahlia was really after John and she saved him when she jumped in front of the gun and took the bullets."

"Wait a minute, that nutter was after _me_? He was gonna kill _me_?" John said, completely shocked.

"Yeah, he was. Dahlia saved you, man."

John sighed and put his head in his hands and the policeman said, "And you, Mr. McCartney, you're the one who beat the gunman."

I nodded and out of the corner of my eye I saw John smirk a little. "Yeah, I really only meant to tackle him and get the gun away from him but my anger took over."

"Well, I highly doubt that you'll be charged with anything, so don't worry."

I didn't say anything and then I asked, "What about…the gunman? What was his name?"

"His name is Mark David Chapman…he is in custody right now, being evaluated."

"Thanks." The policeman walked off and I put my head in my hands and John put his arm around my shoulders and said, "Don't worry, Macca, Dahlia will be okay. She's tough, she'll make it through."

I looked up and said, "Yeah, um, I need to call my brother. Tell the girls what happened. They should be here."

John nodded and said, "We should probably call George and Ringo, too."

"Yeah, we need to call them and Brian, too."

"Alright, you call Brianna, Mary, and Brian. I'll call George and Ringo," John said, standing up. John walked off and went to the nearest payphone. _How does he even remember George's and Ringo's numbers? I can barely remember my own!_

I stood up and stretched before walking over to one of the payphones, which just happened to bet right next to John's.

"Come on George…pick up. Pick up, pick up. Damnit, George, answer your bloody phone!" John said. "George! Hey, yeah, it's me…what's up? Well, uh, something's happened. No, it's not Yoko or Sean…it's…George, its Dahlia." John jumped and held the phone away from his ear when George yelled, "WHAT? WHAT'S HAPPENED?"

"George, if you stop having a spaz attack for one second, I'll tell you," John said. "Alright, are you calm? Yeah, me neither. Uh, so, I'll give you the shortened version; some nutter was gonna shoot and kill me and Dahlia jumped in front of the gun just as the guy fired it."

"Alright, thanks, George. I'll see you soon. Oh, it's Roosevelt Hospital," John said, hanging up the phone.

"So, is George on his way?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's on the first flight out. I'm gonna call Ringo." John noticed I wasn't picking up the phone to call my daughters and Brian and he said, "Oi! Stop staring at me and call your daughters and Brian!"

"Right, okay." I picked up the phone and shakily dialed the number to Mike's house. I tried to control my voice which was very shaky and weak.

"Hello…?" Mike answered groggily.

"Hey, Mike."

"Paul? What the hell are you doing, calling at 3 o'clock in the morning?"

"Oh, sorry, forgot about the time difference. Uh, listen, something's happened…to D-Dahlia." I started to break down a little again.

"What? What happened? Is she okay?" Mike was very alert now.

"Uh, she was sh-shot about three times."

"Why was she shot? Were you being mugged or something?"

"Uh, no, she j-jumped in front of the gun."

"Okay, why?"

"Because…if she hadn't John would have died. The bullets that Dahlia took were meant for John."

"Alright, do you want us to bring the kids to New York?"

"Yeah…I'm sorry, Mike, but they should be here."

"No, don't be sorry, you're right, the girls should be there. Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can. What hospital is it?"

"Thanks. It's Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Uh, just break the news to them easy, okay?"

"Sure, Paul, I will."

"Thanks. Alright, bye, Mike. Love you."

"Love you, too, Paul. Bye."

I hung up the phone and looked at John who had just finished speaking to Ringo.

"Ringo is actually in New York. Visiting someone, but I called his home and then his office and they gave me the number to the recording studio. He's on his way; said that he would be here in twenty minutes or so."

I nodded and picked the phone up to call Brian. I dialed his number and he answered. "Hello, Epstein residence, who is calling?"

_He is __**way**__too cheery. _"H-Hey, Brian, uh, it's Paul." Brian caught on to my shaking voice and immediately said, "Paul? What's happened? Are you okay? Is Dahlia okay? Is Brianna okay? Is Mary okay?"

"Brian, slow down. I'm fine, except for almost breaking down, Mary and Brianna are okay. D-Dahlia is not, though. She's not okay, Brian."

I heard a sharp intake of breath and Brian said, "What happened?"

"She, uh, she jumped in front of a g-gun and took three bullets that would have hit John. She's in s-surgery right now."

"Oh, god," I heard Brian whisper. Returning to a normal volume level, Brian said, "I'm on my way right now."

"Okay, thanks Brian. George, Ringo, Brianna, and Mary are coming too."

"What about John?"

"He's already here. He rode in the ambulance with me."

"Oh, alright, well yeah, I'm on my way."

"Kay, I'll see you soon. It's Roosevelt Hospital."

"Okay. Bye, Paul." I hung up the phone and John and I went to sit down again. And, of course, a couple reporters managed to find us. It wasn't too bad, though; they only wanted to know what had happened.

"Excuse us, Mr. Lennon and Mr. McCartney? We were just wondering if you had a few minutes." I looked up and glared at the reporters.

"Look, man, not now, okay?" I said, exasperated. John tapped my shoulder and said, "Paul, we'll have to deal with them sooner or later; might as well be now."

I rubbed my face with my hands and looked up at the reporters, "All right. Fine, sit down."

The reporters sat down with excited looks on their faces and I wanted nothing more than to punch them right off their faces.

"Okay, well, Mr. Lennon, is it true that somebody attempted to murder you tonight?"

"Yeah, it's true."

The female reporter nodded and scribbled something down on her pad of paper. "And Mr. McCartney is it true that your wife, Dahlia McCartney, jumped in front of the gun, taking the bullets for John?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah, that's true too."

"What was the gunman's name?"

I was about to answer when John interjected saying, "Look, if you want that kind of information, you'll have to talk to the police, okay? Now look, one of my best friends was shot tonight saving me. If you want something to put in your bloody papers put this: Dahlia saved my life. She is one of my closest friends and I love her. If it weren't for her, I would be dead right now."

I nodded and said, "Now, if you will please just leave us alone?"

The reporters nodded and left. Not long after that, Ringo came bursting through the doors and rushed up to the desk.

"Dahlia McCartney?" he said frantically

The nurse looked at him strangely and I called out to him, "Ringo!"

The blue-eyed drummer whirled around and walked over to us. He hugged me and John and said, "How're you holding up, Paul?"

"All right, I s'pose. She's still in surgery."

Ringo nodded and we sat down and about five minutes after that, George came bursting in the same way Ringo did.

"George!" John called out. George saw us and walked over. He hugged us and we sat down. We got to talking about what had happened and before we knew it, Brian walked in, trying to appear calm but failing; there was panic all over his face.

I walked over to him and Brian shook my hand and hugged me. "How are you, Paul?" Brian asked.

I managed a weak chuckle and said, "Uh, you know, holding up. Dahlia's still in surgery."

Brian nodded and we walked back over to the lads. John smiled sadly at Brian and said, "Hey, Bri. Thanks for coming."

Brian nodded and said, "How are you all?"

John answered first, "I'm all right, Bri. I'm worried out of my mind but I'm all right."

"John nearly gave me a heart attack when he told me, but otherwise, I'm all right," George said.

Ringo was next and he said, "Same as John and George."

Brian nodded and then we heard, "Dad!"

I turned around and saw Brianna and Mary running at me, followed by Mike and Angela. Brianna reached me first and ran into my open arms. I hugged her tightly and opened one arm as Mary reached me. She hugged me too and Brianna asked, "Dad is Mum okay?"

"I don't know, Brie, I really don't know. She's in surgery."

Brianna sniffed, trying to hold back the tears and be strong. She walked over to Brian and he hugged her. Brianna just broke down in his arms and he held her tightly.

"Shhh, it's okay. Its okay, Brie, its okay," Brian said as his goddaughter cried her eyes out on his shoulder. Mary starting tearing up just seeing her tough twin sister breaking down and she walked over to John.

"Hey, Uncle John," Mary said. John smiled and hugged his goddaughter as she broke down too. Brian was still holding Brianna, but she wasn't crying anymore, she was just sort of shaking. Brianna sniffed and straightened up. Brian looked at her and smiled. Brianna wiped her eyes and couldn't help but grin at her godfather.

She looked around and saw Ringo and hugged him and then George. Mary did the same after she stopped crying. Mike and Angela came over to me and Mike said, "Paul, we'd love to stay, but we can't. Call us when there's an update, okay?"

I nodded and said, "Thank you for bringing my girls, Mike. I'll call you when I hear more, don't worry."

Mike clapped his hand on my shoulder and said, "Dahlia's tough. She'll make it through just fine." I nodded and smiled at my younger brother. Mike and Angela said their goodbyes

Half an hour later, John, George, Ringo, and Brian were catching up with Mary and Brianna. Brian nearly fainted when he heard that Brianna had gone on her first date and now had a boyfriend. John and Brian looked at me and shook their heads lightly, as if to say "Where has the time gone?" I shrugged and turned my head. I noticed the doctor heading our way and I jumped up.

"You're Dahlia's husband?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"Okay, well, Dahlia is out of surgery and she is in recovery. She's gonna be just fine. It was a little touch and go for a while during the surgery because of the location of the bullet in her abdomen. We didn't want to hurt the fetus, but the bullet was very close."

"I'm sorry, what? The fetus? Dahlia's pregnant?"

The doctor smiled and said, "Yes, she's pregnant. Only about a week along, I highly doubt she even knew herself."

I grinned and said, "And the baby's fine?"

"The baby's fine. She's awake, if you would like to go and see her."

I nodded and the doctor said, "She's in room number…618."

"Okay, I will definitely be going to see her, but I have to tell everyone else first."

The doctor nodded and walked off. I turned around and walked back over to John, George, Ringo, Brian, Brianna and Mary.

John leaped up as soon as he saw me coming back and he said, "So, what's the news?"

I grinned and said, "Dahlia's okay. She's out of surgery and in recovery."

Everyone sighed with relief and Brianna and Mary ran at me and hugged me. Brian was so relieved he burst out in tears and even John was crying a little bit. George and Ringo just sat in their chairs, smiling.

"But, uh, that's not the only good news," I said, grinning.

Everyone looked at me and I said, "Dahlia's pregnant."

"WHAT?" John cried. "She's pregnant and she still jumped in front of those bullets? Is she crazy?"

I shook my head and said, "No, John, she isn't crazy. She loves you and she is only about a week along; the doctor said she probably didn't even know herself."

Brian stood up and hugged me and everyone else followed suit. "So Mum is gonna have a baby?" said Mary.

I nodded. "That means...we're gonna be big sisters!" Brianna concluded. She hugged her sister and I said, "Do you all wanna go see her? She's awake."

Everyone nodded and I led them to Dahlia's room. I poked my head in and she smiled brightly when she saw me.

"Hey Paul," she said. Dahlia was unbelievably pale and she looked tired, but that was probably on account of the blood loss.

"Hey Dahlia. Everyone's here. John, Brian, George, Ringo, the girls; everyone."

She sat up a little straighter and winced as she did but kept on smiling and said, "Bring 'em on in!"

I walked fully into the room and everyone followed me. Dahlia grinned when she saw the girls and they walked over to her and hugged her gently. John rushed up to her and kissed her forehead.

"Doll, you are...insane, wonderful, incredibly brave, and so many other things. You saved my life. Thank you."

Dahlia smiled at him and said, "It was my pleasure John. And yes, I know I'm insane, but it was my insanity that saved your ass."

John nodded and laughed. He stepped aside and let the others go next to her.

Brian was first. "Hey Bri. Long time, no see, huh?"

Brian nodded and bent down to kiss her forehead gently. "Dahlia...you are a hero. When I walked up to the hospital, there were reporters everywhere. I am so glad that you are okay."

"Me, too, Bri, me too. Although I don't care about being a hero, I'm just glad that I made it in time to save that bugger." Dahlia smiled and pointed to John.

"Hey!" John said.

"Oh, you know I love you, John," Dahlia giggled. John smiled and we went back to talking.

Brian smiled and stepped aside and George and Ringo walked forward.

"Hey Georgie, hey Rings."

"Hey Dahlia. You okay?" George asked.

Dahlia nodded and said, "Tired and sore but nothing I can't handle. Oh and apparently I'm pregnant."

Everyone nodded and I said, "We know, love, the doc told me and then I told everyone else."

"Oh, good."

I saw the exhausted look in her eyes and said, "Alright, well, we'll let you get some sleep, Dahlia, you're probably tired."

Dahlia nodded and said, "Yeah, being shot will do that, I guess."

We all chuckled and I bent down to kiss Dahlia. Brianna and Mary went, "Awww", when I did and everyone else laughed at the girls. "I love you, Dahlia."

"I love you, too, Paul."

"We'll visit tomorrow, okay?"

Dahlia nodded and said, "Alright, I'll see you then. You know where to find me."

"I do." I kissed her one more time and we left. The only thing that was running through my head as we all walked back into the waiting room, out the doors, and into the crowd of reporters was, _Dahlia...you are the strongest, bravest woman I know._

Brian fought to get through the crowd just like old times and I held onto Brianna's and Mary's hands tightly. "Do not let go, girls," I told them. And then John, Ringo, George, and I, along with my daughters, walked through the mass of microphones and cameras and reporters, all of them asking what happened tonight. For a moment, it seemed like we were The Beatles again but then reality came back.

And then all of a sudden, John stopped, "HOLD ON! WAIT! Now, you are all asking us what happened. Tonight, one of my best friends, Dahlia McCartney, took three bullets for me. She saved my life. Dahlia McCartney is a hero."

"And I love her," I added in a whisper to myself. _I love you, Dahlia._


	10. Free at Last!

**AN: I know the last chapter was really fluffy at the end, but it sort of just played out that way. Anyroad, keep reading and reviewing. It makes me smile. Here is the next chapter!**

CHAPTER 10

Dahlia's POV

Well, it took forever, but I finally was released from the hospital. I kept insisting to the doctor that I was okay and I wanted to go home, but he kept me prisoner until he was satisfied that I would be able to walk. By the time I was released, 9 weeks had passed since the Chapman incident.

When Paul and John came to pick me up, I was all smiles and so were they.

"Cor, Dahlia, it's about bloody time they released you!" John said as Paul and I walked out of the hospital room.

I hugged John and said, "Yeah, I know. It's ridiculous how long they kept me here, but I guess they had a good reason."

I released John just as Paul came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, and he said, "Of course they had a good reason! They had to make sure that the baby was okay."

I nodded and patted my stomach, which was now slightly bulging. "Yep, they did, and the baby is fine."

Paul let go of me and the three of us walked out of the hospital and over to the car that was waiting for us. I climbed in and Brian was sitting there with the girls. Mary and Brianna grinned at me and hugged me. I sat next to Brian, who put his arm around me and said, "We are sure glad to have you out of there, Dahlia. I miss having you sitting next to me in the studio, y' know."

Although The Beatles had broken up, Brian was still the manager of a number of other bands and I was still his assistant.

"And I miss being there with you, Bri." Paul and John had gotten into the car by this time and we drove off. Apparently, Paul and Brian had been staying with John, Yoko, and Sean at the Dakota and that is where we were headed.

Paul, Brian, the girls, and I were going to be flying back to England in two days and we were all very excited to get home. Although we were thrilled to be spending time with John, we all really missed good old merry England.

Ringo and George had to leave, unfortunately, but we had been keeping them updated via phone calls. We made it back to the Dakota and went up to John and Yoko's place.

John opened the door and Yoko came over, all smiles.

"Oh, Dahlia, I am so happy to see you. I want to thank you for saving my husband. If it weren't for you, Sean and I would be...well, we would be John-less," Yoko said, as she hugged me. Although I often thought that Yoko could have backed off during The Beatles' recordings, I really liked her. She loved John with her whole being and treated him right, so that was enough for me.

"Yoko, you don't need to thank me. I'm just glad that I got to you guys in time," I told her.

She smiled at me and went over to give her husband a kiss and hugged Paul and Brian. I knew perfectly well that Paul didn't really like Yoko, but he knew John loved her so he was nice to her. Brianna and Mary were standing next to Paul and Yoko looked at them with a big smile on her face and said, "Girls, Sean is in the other room watching TV. I know he'll be thrilled to see you, if you want to go in there."

Brianna and Mary beamed at Yoko and said, "Sure, thanks, Auntie Yoko." The girls absolutely loved Sean and bounded off to go see the little guy.

I turned to John and said, "Honestly, John, it's amazing how much Sean looks like you. I mean, yeah, he's got Yoko's eyes but he looks almost exactly like you."

John grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I know. I like to call him my mini-me."

I laughed and Yoko said, "Oh, Sean is such a Daddy's boy, though. He's always hanging around John, any chance he gets."

John smiled proudly and I said, "Nothing wrong with that. Hey have you seen Julian at all lately?"

He shook his head and said, "No, I haven't, why?"

I shrugged and said, "Oh, no reason, but he's gotten so tall, John. He's seventeen now, I believe."

John nodded and put his arm around Paul and said, "Yup, same age I was when I met the bestest buddy I would ever have!" He hugged Paul tightly and we all laughed.

"Gah, John! Get off me!" Paul said, joking around.

John grinned at Paul and said, "Nuh uh! You're stuck with me now, Macca!" Yoko, Brian, and I were cracking up and Paul looked at me with his eyebrow raised.

"Y'know, Dahlia, my love, you could help me out here."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Very well, o wonderful husband of mine." I walked over to John and Paul and said, "Johnny, I kind of need my husband back."

John squinted at me and said, "Oh alright, for you, I will set him free." John let go of Paul and grinned at him.

We all walked into the living room and sat down and got to reminiscing about the years that have passed.

"Do you remember the day that Brian met you, Dahlia?" John said with glee in his brown eyes.

I grinned at Brian and said, "Of course, I remember! You thought I was pregnant if I remember correctly, Bri."

Brian laughed and said, "Yeah, well, with these guys, you could never be sure."

"Yeah he's right Dahl….hey!" John said.

We all laughed and Brian said, "That gets you every time John." John nodded and said, "Yeah, well, you're right."

About ten minutes later, I remembered what the doctor told me one day after checking on the baby.

"Oh, guys, I have a little something to tell you about the baby!" I said excitedly.

Everyone looked at me and I said, "So what do you guys think about the name James?"

I grinned as Paul figured it out. He lit up like a Christmas tree and said, "We're having a boy?"

I nodded and Paul leapt up and lifted me up in the air, twirling me around as he hugged me. John hugged me after Paul and then Brian and Yoko hugged me.

"So seriously though, let's name him after his daddy. Let's name him James Paul," I said. Paul grinned and said, "James Paul McCartney, Jr. I like it."

"Good. I'm gonna go tell the girls." I got up and went into the room where Brianna, Mary, and Sean were watching _The Looney Tunes Show_.

"Hey, girls, hey Sean," I said.

Sean turned around and ran over to me. He leapt into my arms and said, "Auntie Dahlia!" I hugged "mini-John" and held him as I said, "Hey, girls, guess what?"

"What, mum?" Brianna said, still focusing on Wiley Coyote and The Road Runner.

"In about six months…you are going to have a little brother."

Both girls turned around and said, "It's a boy?"

"Yup, it's a boy."

"YAY! We're gonna have a brother!" Mary cheered.

"YAY! We can kick the crap out of any girl that messes with him!" Brianna said.

I shook my head while laughing and thought, _I love my life._


	11. James and Ringo's News

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT DAHLIA, MARY, BRIANNA, AND JAMES**

CHAPTER 11

_8 months later_

**Paul's POV**

Well, it finally happened. James was born after about three very painful hours of labor for Dahlia and another sore and bruised hand for me. It was worth it though; on September 18th, James Paul McCartney was born. When he opened his eyes for the first time, Dahlia gasped.

_Flashback_

_"Dahlia, what...?" Dahlia looked at me with a big smile on her face._

_"Paul...he looks exactly you. Here, hold him. Just look at him."_

_I held my son for the very first time and I looked at him. James opened his eyes and I gasped myself. James had the same exact hazel eyes that I did, shape and all. He looked exactly like every baby picture I had seen of myself, except with lighter hair. He was perfect._

_"Wow. You're right, he does look like me. Talk about like father, like son, huh, love?" I said. Dahlia laughed and nodded at me._

_"He's your "mini-me", Paul."_

_End of Flashback_

_5 years later_

I couldn't have agreed more and now, it was truer than ever before. James was now four years old, about to turn five in about 12 days and he was an absolute nutcase. I loved the little bugger, but he was always running around, climbing things, and driving us all insane, but we loved him.

On one such occasion, Dahlia was out somewhere and I was chasing James around our house, trying to get him to calm down long enough so I could feed him. Anyway, I was chasing him around when out of the blue, Brianna swooped in and grabbed her little brother.

James pouted as Brianna held him in her arms. "Whoa, there, Jamesie. Sorry little bro," our seventeen year old daughter said.

"Thanks Brie," I said as Brianna handed James to me. I looked at James and said, "I don't get it, James. I've been chasing you for like twenty minutes and Brianna just comes out of nowhere and grabs you in about two seconds. I really don't get it."

Brianna laughed and kissed my cheek as she walked past me. "It's a woman thing, Dad," she called out.

I shook my head and looked at my son, who looked just as confused as me. "I guess it must be." James looked at me and said, "Daddy...Brianna is weird."

I laughed and said, "Well, maybe, but she's your weird sister."

"That's right. Brianna and Mary are my weird sisters. Mine and no one else's."

I nodded and carried James off to the kitchen. "Yep. Now let's get some food, okay?"

Brianna and Mary would be turning eighteen next month and it made me feel really bloody old. My little girls were seventeen and they were seniors in high school! They would be going to college next year! GAH! Brianna and Matthew were still going out and they were very happy. I once overheard, by accident I assure you, Brianna telling Dahlia that she thought she might be in love with him.

I had wanted to murder Matthew and faint at the same time, but I couldn't do either because one, Brianna would never forgive me for murdering the boy she "loves" and two, fainting would give away my position of eavesdropping. Yes, I was eavesdropping on my wife and daughter, but come on, what do you expect? I'm only being a nosy and overprotective father.

Of course, when Dahlia opened the door and saw me, I jumped back so that Brianna wouldn't see me.

Dahlia looked at me with a grin and said, "Were you just eavesdropping, Paul?"

"No, I uh, I was simply, um...walking..." I shook my head and said, "Wasn't eavesdropping."

"Oh my god, you totally were. Paul, you creeper!" she joked. She smacked my arm and I clasped my hands in front of me like John did in _A Hard Day's Night_, The Beatles' first movie, when he begged "Norm" not to cane him. "Please don't tell Brianna! She'll never trust me again!" I put on my puppy face, remembering when Dahlia said that if I used that on her, she'd never be able to say no.

"Okay, okay, I won't tell her. I promise. You cheat, you know; you remembered when I said I wouldn't be able to say no to your puppy face." Dahlia smiled at me. I smirked and said, "Yes, I did, so HA!"

She rolled her eyes and kissed me. _ Man, every time she kisses me, it's like the first time all over again. I am the luckiest bloke on EARTH! _ She patted my cheek lightly as she walked past me and I turned around and followed her.

"I love you, Dahlia."

"I know, I love you, too, Paul. And no, you cannot kick the shit out of Matthew for stealing your daughter's heart."

"Damn." _ How does she do that? How does she manage to guess whatever I'm up to?_

"Oh, and in answer to your unasked question, Paul, I'm not guessing; it's woman's intuition." She smirked at me and walked off, leaving me behind, staring at her with my mouth hanging open. "That is incredible! I didn't even say anything!" I whispered to myself. I turned around to see my five year old son staring at me with a smile on his face.

"What?" I said. James shook his head and said, "Mummy's smarter than you, that's all."

"You're supposed to be on my side, you know!" I said to him.

"I am. Mummy's still smarter than you. Sorry," James said. I smiled at him and said, "You know, you might be my "mini-me", but you have your mum's cheekiness."

The expression on his little face almost seemed to say, "Well, duh, Daddy." I laughed and picked James up.

"Whoa, you're getting heavy, little man."

"Gee, thanks," James said.

"I meant that in a good way," I told him.

"Sure ya did."

I rolled my eyes and put James down as the phone rang. I picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"Paul? Hi, yeah, it's Ringo. Guess what, guess what, guess what?"

"Uh, what?" I answered.

I literally had to hold the phone away from my ear when Ringo answered.

"I'M A GRANDFATHER!"

"Wait, what? You're a grandfather? That's amazing! Congratulations! Oh, wait, hold on, let me get Dahlia. DAHLIA!"

"WHAT?"

"COME HERE!"

"Yes, Paul?" Dahlia said as she walked over to me. I pointed to the phone and she stood next to me and I said, "Ringo, would you like to tell Dahlia the news?"

"Yes, oh, hi, Dahlia, hi!"

"Hi, Ringo. Now, what's up?"

"Dahlia, I'm a grandfather! Me, a grandfather!"

"Really? So, Zak and Sarah had their baby? That's amazing!"

"Yeah, it is amazing. But that's not the best part!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! It's a beautiful baby girl! A girl!"

"Oh, Richie that's wonderful! What's her name?"

"Tatia Jayne."

"Rich, that's so beautiful. I bet she's so wonderful."

"She is, Dahlia. Oh my god, I'm so happy. I'm a grandfather. I can't believe it."

"Neither can we, Rich," I said. "Think about it, you're a grandfather at 45 years old! That's so young!"

"Yep, I know. So, tell me, how's Brianna, and Mary, and James?"

"Well, Brianna is in love with Matthew, by her admission, Mary has just started going out with Matthew's older brother, Ben, and James is a cheeky little nutcase."

"So, everything's normal then, eh?"

Dahlia and I looked at each other and said, "Yep, everything's normal."

"So," Dahlia said, "Have you told George or John or Brian yet?"

"I've told John and George and they were thrilled but I haven't told Brian yet, he's next on my list, though."

"Right, well, congratulations again," I said.

"Yeah, congratulations, Rich, seriously, we're so happy for you!" Dahlia said.

"Thanks, both of you. Hey, soon enough, guys, you might be right where I am now, only with Brianna or Mary."

Dahlia laughed but I said, "Hey! Come on, man, they're seventeen, give me some time before I have another miniature heart attack, okay?"

Ringo laughed and said, "Sure, sure, it'll only be a matter of time before Mary and Brianna each give you grandkiddies. Alright, I love you guys."

"Okay, Rich love you too, now go spend time with your granddaughter, mister!" Dahlia said.

"Yes, ma'am. Bye." Ringo hung up and I smiled at Dahlia.

"Richie is a grandfather! Oh my god," I said.

"I know! God, I can't believe it, it's amazing."

"Yeah, it is, love, it is."

Dahlia put her arm around my waist and I put mine around her shoulders. _Richie is right though, soon enough, I'll be exactly where he is. But not too soon I hope._


	12. Our Cinderellas and Their Princes

**I DON'T OWN THE BEATLES, OKAY? I SWEAR!**

CHAPTER 12

**Dahlia's POV**

_7 years later_

Well, about three years had passed since the girls graduated college. It was now 1991. Both Brianna and Mary had gone for degrees in music and they were doing great. They had formed a band with their boyfriends and Brian was their manager. Brianna was lead vocals and lead guitar, Mary was also lead vocals and was on bass like Paul had been, Matthew was rhythm guitar and backup vocals and Ben was backup and drums.

About six months ago, Matthew and Ben had come to Paul and asked for his permission to ask their respective girlfriends to marry them. We had both known the boys for many years and we also knew that they loved Brianna and Mary with all their hearts.

_Flashback _

"_Ben, Matthew, how are you?" I asked the young men. Paul was sitting next to me, across our daughters' boyfriends. _

_They smiled nervously and said, "Well, actually, we wanted to ask you, something Paul." I smiled as I became aware of what they wanted to ask him. Paul, however, was oblivious. _

"_Okay, what's up?" he said._

"_We, uh, we wanted to ask your permission to ask Brianna and Mary to marry us," Matthew said. "I am only speaking for myself here, but I love Brianna very much and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want her to be the mother of my children and I want to grow old with her. And I want to know that I have your permission."_

_Ben nodded and said, "Yes, and I feel exactly the same about Mary. We just want you to give us the okay."_

_Paul looked at them and then me. I nodded at him slightly and he looked back to the boys._

"_I want to make something clear. Even though I am thrilled that my girls found you guys, I loved them first. As long as you feel sure about this, and I mean more sure about this than anything else in your life, then I give you my permission."_

_End of Flashback_

The boys had been so happy after Paul gave them his permission and they rushed off to go ask the girls. I had a feeling that they would have asked Brianna and Mary even if Paul hadn't given them permission, though.

The next day, both Brianna and Mary came over with huge smiles on their faces. James, who was now twelve, wandered out when he heard his older sisters squealing their heads off.

"Mum, Dad, James….we're getting married!" Brianna announced. The girls showed off their rings to us and James. Mary hugged me and Brianna hugged Paul. I noticed that Paul had tears in his eyes and I smiled at him. They decided to call John, George, Brian, and Ringo afterwards and they put them on speaker phone so that we could all hear their reactions.

They first decided to call John.

"Hello?" John answered.

"Hey Uncle John, it's Mary and Brianna!" Mary said.

"Oh, hey, girls. What's up?"

"Guess what, Uncle John?" Brianna said, her voice shaking from excitement.

"What?"

"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!"

"What? You're getting married? But you're sisters! Isn't that like illegal?" John responded.

Paul rolled his eyes and I laughed. "No, you idiot! John, Brianna is getting married to Matthew and Mary is getting married to Ben," I said.

"Oh...that's awesome, loves!" John exclaimed. "Getting married! I can't believe it...next thing I know, you'll be pregnant!"

"John! Come on, man, they're my babies," Paul said.

John laughed until a thump was heard on his end of the line and John said, "Ouch!"

I assumed Yoko had smacked him and I was proven right when she was heard saying, "Well, stop tormenting Paul then!"

"Anyways, congratulations. Listen, I've got to go, but I am so happy for you!"

"Okay, thanks, bye, Uncle John. Love you!" Brianna said.

"Love you guys, too, bye-bye."

John hung up and then the girls called everyone else. Brian was squealing right along with the girls, George was...well, George. You know, calm, happy, just like George is. Ringo, being the big brother type, was so happy and we could practically hear the grin on his face.

After we were done telling everyone, Brianna and Mary were getting ready to go back to their respective fiancés when James came wandering in from outside, where he was playing. He was now ten and he looked so much like Paul, it wasn't even funny.

"Hey, Jamesie!"

"Hey, Brie, Mary."

They kissed their little brother goodbye and he wandered off to his bedroom.

I turned to Paul and said, "So, our daughters are getting married. Time flies, huh?"

"Don't remind me. Before we know it, James will be their age."

I nodded and snuggled into Paul's arms. And not for the first time, I wondered how I had gotten so lucky as to have Paul McCartney fall in love with me.


	13. James's Time Trip

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! EXCEPT DAHLIA, MARY, BRIANNA, MATTHEW, BEN, AND JAMES**

_AN: I am going to try something new here, instead of Paul's POV or Dahlia's POV, I am going to do this chapter in James's POV._

CHAPTER 13

**James's POV**

Well, hey. You haven't really gotten to know me yet have you? Nope. Well, let me tell you. My full name is James Paul McCartney Jr., named after my dad. I was born on September 18, 1981. I am now 20 years old. Yes, I know, it is now 2001. The 21st century! And so far it sucks. A week ago, a group of nutball terrorists took control of a plane and crashed it into the World Trade Center, or better known as the Twin Towers. They were aiming for the Pentagon, but luckily the passengers on the plane gave their lives and tried to get them away from the Pentagon and they succeeded. Unfortunately what they didn't succeed at was preventing them from crashing into the Twin Towers. Many people died and I am very sorry for all of them. _And _my dad was on a plane, watching this all happen. Not _that_ plane, of course, another plane. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here right now.

Anyways, yes, so far the 21st century sucks. My life has been pretty good. My sisters are still happily married and they both have kids now. Brianna and Matthew have a son named Bryce, who is now…5 years old. He was born on March 21, 1996. He's adorable and I love the kid. He kind of reminds me of me, actually.

Bryce John Emerson, that's his full name. Gotta remember that Brianna took Matthew's last name when they got married. Dad was in tears when he held him for the first time. And I get that, I do, I mean, that's his first grandkid. Anyway, Bryce is a little ball of energy. He's insane, actually. You have to practically be an Olympic runner just to catch the kid.

Mary and Ben have a daughter named Chloe Grace Emerson. _She _was born on October 18, 1998. Chloe is now 3 years old. Everyone absolutely loves Chloe; she the type of little girl who can make anyone smile even if they don't want to. She is basically like a little ray of sunshine. When Chloe was born, Dad was again in tears, but this time because he now had a granddaughter. I was happy too, I mean, those two days, I became an uncle.

But anyway, yes, my life is pretty normal, despite the fact that my father is one of the most famous people on the planet.

Or it was, anyway. I was sitting on the couch in the living room watching_ X-Men_. I love that movie, it is just so cool. Everything was pretty quiet, but then out of nowhere, my head started killing me. I mean, really killing me. It was the worst pain I ever felt and I pressed my palms to my forehead and grit my teeth together to keep from screaming. My eyes were clamped shut and I opened them when I heard a young female voice say, "Hey are you okay?"

I looked up and removed my hands from my head. I looked around and noticed that I wasn't on the couch anymore…I was sitting at a bus stop. The next thing I noticed was the girl that was looking at me concernedly. She looked familiar but I had never seen her in my life.

"Are you okay?" she asked again. She was American and had an accent that was similar to my mum's.

"Uh, yeah, thanks. Hey, where am I?"

"You're in Boston, Massachusetts. I like your accent by the way," she said.

"Boston, huh? I should have guessed as much…"

She looked at me with confusion in her blue eyes. "Your accent…my mother has the same accent."

"Oh, yeah. Sometimes I forget that I have an accent because it's the only one I really ever hear," she said.

I nodded and said, "Hey, do you happen to have the date?"

"Yeah, it's August 25th."

"August 25th, huh? What's the year?"

"It's 2011. Did you have a tough night last night or something?"

"You could say that, yeah," I said. _2011? What the hell? Am I dreaming or something?_

I pinched myself to see if I was in fact dreaming. _Ouch! I'm not dreaming then. But if I'm not dreaming that means that I'm actually in 2011._

"I'm Dahlia Black," she said, extending her hand. I shook her hand but I nearly had a heart attack when she said that. Dahlia Black is my mother.

_Calm down, James. She can't be mum. Yes, mum's maiden name was Black and she is from Boston and that girl looks exactly like the pictures I've seen of her on her wedding day, only a little younger…and she's mum. There's no denying it. It's her eyes. I'd recognize them anywhere._

"I'm James McCartney." I inwardly cringed at the fact that I used my real name.

"McCartney? Don't suppose you're related to Paul McCartney?"

"Sorry, no. At least, I don't think so."

Just then a bus rolled up and she said, "Well, it was nice talking to you, James. But this is my bus."

"It was nice talking to you, too, Dahlia," I said, smiling at her.

As soon as the bus left, my head started killing me again and when I opened my eyes again, I was back on the couch and my parents were staring at me with worried looks on their faces.

"Oh, James, we thought we lost you. You were just sitting there with your eyes wide open but you weren't responding to anything." My mother hugged me as she said this. I blinked wildly and when she let me go I said, "Y-y-you l-lied t-to m-me, t-to Brianna, to Mary. You weren't born in 1946, were you?"

"James, I don't know what you are talking about," she said.

"Stop lying to me! I just went back in time, I think and I met YOU! I asked you what the date was and you said that it was August 25th, 2011. But the funny thing was that you were only about 17 or so. And I wasn't dreaming, so tell me how the HELL did that happen?"

Mum looked at Dad and said, "I remember that, too. I remember a young British man sitting at the bus stop with me, asking me what the date was. It's true…he's gone back in time."

"I think you need to tell me the truth, mum," I said.

"Okay."


	14. The End

**I DON'T OWN THE BEATLES OR ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MY CHARACTERS!**

_AN: This will be the last chapter of Saving Their Lives and The In Between. Thank you for sticking with me for so long and I hope you enjoy this chapter._

CHAPTER 14

**James's POV**

As I sat there, listening to my mum tell me the truth about when she was born, how she met dad, and everything else, I started wondering how exactly she went back in time and then forward in time and then back in time again to stay.

So I asked her. "Mum, how the hell did you get to 1963, 1964, whatever, then back to 2011, and then from 2015 to 1965?"

"Well, that is a really good question…and the answer is the cab driver."

"The…cab driver?" I said.

"Yeah, I know how it sounds. But the first time I got into that cab, the cab driver had a heavy Londoner accent and he was the same driver each time and…Oh. My. God."

"What?" Dad said.

"Yeah, what?"

"When I went back in time for the second time, when I went to 1965, the last thing that the driver said to me was "Goodbye, mum"! It was you; you're the cab driver!"

"I'm the _what_?"

"Yeah, it must be you! Your voices are exactly the same! James, you just travelled forward in time, which means that you have to travel forward again and make sure I get in that cab and bring me back in time!"

"WHAT?" I said.

"James, listen to me, because it's really important. You have to go forward in time and send me to 1963. You have to because if you don't, your father and I will never meet, you and your sisters will never be born, and Uncle John, Uncle Brian, and Uncle George will all die."

I put my head in my hands and sighed. "All right. All right, I'll do it. What do I have to do?"

My mother told me exactly what to say and told me what she was wearing that night. She told me where to drop her off when I got her to 1963 to ensure that Dad and Uncle John would find her. She told me everything I would need to know and then I said, "All right, but I don't know how to time travel at will! It just happened…"

"James, just focus. Please."

I nodded and said, "All right but you guys need to be completely quiet."

My mother and father fell silent and I closed my eyes and concentrated really hard. Next thing I knew, I was in the driver's seat of taxi, parked on the side of the road. I rubbed my now sore again head and started looking out for my mother.

I finally found her and pulled over when she called the cab that I was driving. I couldn't believe that it had actually worked!

I managed to get her to sleep and concentrated hard enough so that we ended up in 1963. Luckily it was dawn so no one really was around and I scooped my mum up in my arms and put her down on the ground where dad and Uncle John would later find her. I grabbed her bags and put them next to her. I felt bad about just leaving her there, but I knew that I had to. I got back into the cab and drove off, around the corner.

I drove the cab into an alley and got out. I had decided to wait around until I was sure that dad and Uncle John had found her. I leaned up against the brick wall and tried my best to look like I wasn't doing anything.

I waited for about three hours and then finally dad and Uncle John showed up. It was really weird seeing them so young but I watched anyway. They talked for awhile until the fan girls showed up. Dad grabbed mum's hand and she grabbed her bags and ran with him. Uncle John was up ahead.

And that was it, my job was done. She was in dad and Uncle John's hands now.

I went back into the alley and thought about my mother. I raised my hand to my forehead and saluted her. Of course she couldn't see me, but it still meant the same to me.

"Good Luck, mum," I whispered under my breath. And with that I disappeared and went back to my own time. Well, until I decided to go back again and bring her back to the future, at least.

_AN: And there you have it! Dahlia's tale has come to an end. Thank you everyone for sticking by me for this long and I hope that you leave a review. They make me smile. 3_


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